Data storage devices commonly have a recording head that includes a read transducer that reads information from a data storage medium and a write transducer that writes information to a data storage medium.
In magnetic data storage devices such as disc drives, a multi-layered magnetic element such as a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor may be employed as the read transducer to read a magnetic signal from the magnetic media. The MR sensor, which may be a Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor or a Tunnel Magnetoresistive (TMR) sensor, has an electrical resistance that changes in response to an external magnetic field. This change in electrical resistance can be detected by processing circuitry in order to read magnetic data from the adjacent magnetic media.
With ever-increasing levels of recording density in disc drives and a need for faster data transfer speeds, the read transducer needs to have correspondingly better data-reproducing capabilities. A fabrication process utilized to form the read transducer impacts its data-reproducing capability. In general, fabrication processes utilized to form multi-layered magnetic elements have an impact on the performance of the magnetic elements.